The Ancient's Curse
by Okapi
Summary: Newton's 3rd Law For every action, there's an equal but opposite reaction. There is no such thing as good or bad, every creature lives in the grey area in between.
1. Awakening

The sun shone brightly over the raging sea. Waves rolled back and forth, churning up great mountains of foam in their wake. Titanic chunks of ice were battered relentlessly by the restless sea, thrown around as carelessly as if they were mere stones rather than big icebergs and ice sheets capable of causing an unwary whale or seal serious injury or even drowning. Beneath the white wilderness, a completely different clash of forces was under way. Letting out an echoing roar before charging, a male narwhal sped straight at its adversary with its horn pointing at a perfectly straight angle. The opponent, a very large orca, swiftly moved to one side and only felt a small graze on its side as the narwhal's horn brushed against it. Before the narwhal could turn to once more face his enemy, the orca had chomped down on the back of his neck. The narwhal tried in vain to shake the leviathan's grip, but the orca was relentless and merely held its prey there. Once all struggles of life had vanished, the orca released his grip on the narwhal and swam over to where the narwhal's pod was watching. Another orca had swam out of the gloom to snap up the body of the dead narwhal before it sank to the sea floor. This orca was smaller in size than the first one and had a few unusual physical features; on the tip of the dorsal fin there was a red patch and on its white eye patches there were black dots that from a distance looked like the animal's eyes. The curvature of the dorsal fin and the smaller size indicated that this orca was a female, very different looking from the beast which was now advancing slowly upon the narwhal pod. His dorsal fin stood as upright as a tower of coral in the seabed and his eyes, instead of being below his white eye patches as was the case with all other orcas, were inside the patches. His eyes were shining with coldness very similar to the environment in which he was swimming as he cast a hungry eye over the pod.

"Now that I have taken care of your podmaster," he rumbled lazily, "which one of you shall I pick off next? Cariu, perhaps you would like first pick of this afternoon's banquet?" The female orca swam over beside the male and gave him a gentle nuzzle before casting her own hungry eyes over the narwhals.

"Hmm, Okura, you always treat me so well," she sang lowly, "first feeding me an adult male from this pod and then letting me have first choice. I really can't decide, they all look so tempting." The narwhals looked back in contempt with hatred and defiance shining from their eyes as they were being looked over by the greedy orcas. One of them, a double-horned male, swam out of the throng to face the predators head on.

"You shall not claim anymore of us, cannibals," he rumbled loudly, "if you value your lives, you shall leave our waters and never return. We may be smaller in stature than you, but we have a way of dealing with trespassing barbarians such as yourselves." The male was hit hard by the orca male's tail fluke as a response. This knocked the male unconscious and then Okura swam closer to the narwhal pod, paying particular attention to the calves that were hiding in the centre of the adults. Before launching another attack, however, he turned around abruptly and swam back over to where his mate was waiting.

"Later, perhaps, we shall return to have our meal," he boomed, "but for now, I feel the need for an exhilarating swim after that kill. Enjoy your last hours of life, fish-biters, for soon we will be back and we shall eat our fill." With these words, Okura swam swiftly into the dark gloom of the polar seas with Cariu following closely behind. The narwhals wasted no time in speeding quickly away further into their home waters. Hearts pounding, they dived deep and followed an underwater ice wall for as far as it went before it reached the steep wall which signalled dry land at the top of it. Along this rocky wall the pod swam before finally reaching a cave which appeared to be covered in thick impenetrable ice. However, the narwhals lined up side by side, facing the wall and they all sang their songs long and loudly at the ice. After a short time, the ice faded away for the entrance to the cave to be revealed. Once inside, the narwhals followed the completely dark cave before reaching the main entrance hall inside. In the centre of the hall there was a brilliantly blue light shining. The cetaceans were drawn closer to the light and upon closer inspection; they saw that the light was coming from a tall and thin crystal. Inside the crystal there seemed to be something blue and yellow and this caused many of the adult narwhals to click and chortle with excitement. Lining up once again side by side, they surrounded the crystal and sang not just relentless sonar, but an ancient song in a forgotten language.

"**_Mighty leviathan, come forth, reveal your cleansing presence to us, your humble servants. Cleanse this world of its evil, restore our rightful place as rulers. Awaken, mighty one, awaken."_**

As the pod finished their collective song, a loud and thunderous roar filled the cave and caused some of the rocks to fall off the ceiling. The light in the centre of the hall grew brighter and brighter, causing the narwhals to close their eyes. Once the light had faded, the narwhal's opened their eyes and they were frozen to the spot with fear. Once more, a tremendous roar rang out and then from the darkness, squeals of pain and death began to fill the cavern. Blood filled the polar waters, as one by one, each of the narwhals was slaughtered by the very thing they had arrived there to release.

The orcas swam speedily beneath the ice sheets of the north, Okura constantly swimming beneath and then above Cariu. These were young transient orcas that had recently set out to start a pod of their own, unlike the majority of their kind. Both had the same hunger for travel and the hunt but also loved to remain aloof from their birth pods and simply see where the seas would take them next. Cariu's heart swelled as she cast an eye over her ever attentive mate, it was his strength in the hunt and his gentleness with her which had attracted him to the white-eyed orca. Knowing the pain of being ridiculed by other orcas, she was extremely happy to meet another who could relate to that incredible feeling of loneliness and isolation. Okura had indeed become hardened by his aggressive past where the other orcas of his pod made sure to victimise and discriminate against him because of his white eyes. He sought no company from any other orca and certainly had not invited the same in return. Until he had came across a marked female with black spots in her eye patches and a red patch on the tip of her dorsal fin. They had become one another's universe, their songs fitting together like a primeval jigsaw and uniting them in the most harmonious way. The love they showed one another was slowly beginning to overwrite the pain that they held in their pasts, it was showing them a happier time where they were no longer mocked for being different but simply allowed to exist.

"My love, are you sure you did not want to have first taste of those fish-biters?" Okura cooed softly as he nuzzled his mate.

"Okura, I was content after that first one you killed and left for me to eat," Cariu rumbled lovingly, "I was more than happy to join you for a leisurely swim in celebration of a great hunt. We truly have become masters of the seas, no other creature in these seas can match us for speed and aggression." The orcas slowly continued their swim, unaware they were being watch from below. Sweeping slowly directly beneath the orcas, a set of the palest and coldest blue eyes were fixed upon the orcas, waiting for the right moment to strike. Once the orcas stopped for a breath at a break in the thick surface ice, the unknown spectator made its move. Not knowing what hit them, Okura and Cariu were hit hard from behind and Okura found himself suspended in midair precariously. His eyes wide with fear of the unknown, he began thrashing around, aware vaguely of very sharp teeth digging into his sides as the set of jaws he was being levitated in closed with swift determination. Cariu could only look on helplessly, as she had been knocked clean out of the water and had landed on the pack ice. Singing desperately, her cries were quickly swallowed up by the air instead of being carried to her mate. Her eyes never once left those of the malevolent force which had Okura in its jaws. Its neck was as long and slender as that of a moray eel, but several times larger. The eyes were the palest and coldest shade of blue that Cariu had ever seen and it was an unusual mixture of blue and yellow in colour, with a blue background which had yellow stripes on it. Then, as suddenly as it attacked, the beast withdrew below the ice, taking Okura with it. Once beneath the waves, the animal relinquished its hold on the orca. Incensed at being attacked by this thing and also afraid of something much larger than he, Okura attacked in a blind rage. His jaws sank into the beast's head, but didn't do as much as a scratch. The animal let out a low roar in a manner which showed it was laughing contemptuously at the pathetic creature attacking it. In an act of frustration, Okura began singing in the loudest and most aggressive song he could manage.

"WHO ARE YOU TO LAUGH AT ME!" he roared, "I DON'T KNOW WHAT MANNER OF CREATURE YOU ARE, BUT YOU SHALL PAY FOR ATTACKING ME AND MY MATE!" Launching himself again at the monster, Okura was instantly sent back the way he came with one swift smack from one of the animal's enormous flippers. Feeling incredibly dazed, he stopped and looked at this unusual oddity; it was the size of a blue whale at least, with a dorsal fin and gill slits on its noticeable neck and it had a tail very similar to that of any cetacean. The beast appeared to have lost patience and rounded on the disgruntled orca. Before it addressed Okura, the monster knocked the pack ice so Cariu was sent sliding back into the water.

"Silly orca," the beast's voice, which revealed it to be female, was ancient, singing a long forgotten language which the orcas could just make out, "As you may have seen, you are no match for a force such as me. Had I known what orcas you and your mate are, I would surely not have attacked. I'm here to give you both one chance, otherwise I shall be forced to kill you and sate my incredible hunger." Cariu advanced to the monster, her body arched ready for a fight.

"And what is this chance, big one?" she growled in deep aggression, "Would you also care to share your name with us? It would be nice to know whom we are dealing with before we rip you to shreds." The monster threw her head back and once more roared in her way of laughing, this time much louder than before.

"I am giving you one chance to join with me," she rumbled, "I'm calling to my orca children, for they are the only singers in these seas capable of the aggression they were destined for. It is also this simple. Join me or die." Okura roared in frustration, advancing upon the gigantic beast once more and this time, he was greeted by her cavernous jaws. Before she could take a chunk out of him, the monster turned her head so one of her teeth sliced into his face up the left side, forever removing one of his eyes and causing the strong male to emit a terrible screeching song of pain. Swimming away from the male before once more addressing them, the monster's eyes had lost their simple coldness and now contained a look of the greatest evil either of the orcas had ever seen. Then, she roared with authority so they would never wonder her name again.

"_I…….AM…….LIGALOTEAN!"_

As the moon went on its many cycles, turning endlessly so that it was partially hidden by darkness and then its full spectral light filled the night sky, songs of a hidden evil travelled far and wide among the many singers of the sea. The inhabitants of the ocean were restless and very alert to the slightest possibility of danger; the songs told of a danger so vast and so menacing that it had disembowelled a blue whale with one bite and simply left the majority of the carcass to rot on the seabed. Even creatures incapable of song heard of the horrors among their kin and were taking more caution until they could establish whether this was truth or merely the fanciful talk of the warm-blooded swimmers. It was in this uncertain and dangerous time that a young bottlenose dolphin was to be found playing freely in warm sunlit waters off the shore of a sloping sandy beach. There were a few things that were rather unusual in this dolphin's behaviour and appearance; he was the usual slate grey colour that his kind was renowned for being, but upon his melon shone five star-like markings as brightly blue as the sky above his head. He was also hunting by driving the small fish he was chasing onto the beach, sliding up after them on his right side to catch them in his beak. Once back in the water, the dolphin swam further out where there was another singer waiting for him. This was not another bottlenose dolphin, but looked like an Irrawaddy dolphin. It was not in the best of condition, with severe gashes along its sides and the breaths it took were pained and laboured. It took the fish which the bottlenose offered to it gratefully and a striking feature of this animal was its pectoral fins; instead of being small and pointed like the others of its species, the fins on this individual were broad and elongated like flippers. Its colouration was slate grey similar to that of its bottlenose companion, but was broken up by streaks of emerald green which made it look more enchanting and beautiful. The bottlenose back finned a short way while his friend ate slowly.

"Take your rest here, sweet singer," he sang calmly, "you have nothing to fear while in my presence. What is your name, fair one?" The irrawaddy surfaced for another breath, having ate her fill of the fish caught for her, and resumed her previous position in front of the bottlenose.

"I appreciate your kindness, starbrow," her song revealed she was a female and it was soft and gentle, "my name is Sarastro and I come from waters very far from here. I was cast out of my pod as soon as I reached maturity; they saw my flippers and my unusual markings as a sign of danger and did not want to be associated with me longer than was necessary. I have been swimming for many cycles and sunrises, trying to find some sanctuary. You are the first singer I have encountered who has not cast me away." Her song while the most beautiful the young bottlenose had ever heard was also the most mournful and filled with sadness which made his heart heavy with woe.

"I too know the pain of isolation, Sarastro," he responded gently, "I am called Ecco and I have only recently left the sanctity of my pod. They too saw my stars to be something shameful and I no longer wanted to stay where I did not belong. You are more than welcome to swim with me for as long as you wish; we can offer one another company in these uncertain times. Have you heard the fearful songs of the silent killer?" Before Sarastro could respond, a loud shrill song came from far off to the west of where the dolphins were. Then, a large number of the resident spotted dolphins swam swiftly towards where Ecco and Sarastro were drifting. Although much larger than the spotted dolphins, they were knocked back and forth quite roughly by the panic-driven singers swimming for what seemed their lives. Blowing in frustration, Ecco finally smacked one of the singers with his beak and forced it to stop in its tracks.

"Singer! What are you and your kind trying so hard to escape!" he forced his voice to remain calm and civil, although he was very irritated by the relentless smacking and hitting as the spotted dolphins bashed and hit against him. The dolphin which had been stopped began singing hysterically.

"It's coming, it's coming, the silent death!" it was a young male, singing frantically, "Must flee, must flee, will surely slaughter all spotted ones!" With these words, the young singer pushed past Ecco and zoomed faster than the bottlenose had ever seen one of these singers swim. All too soon, the spotted dolphins stopped coming and there was a deathly silence in the sea around Ecco and Sarastro. Then, a song which sounded older than those the mighty blue whales sang and colder than those of the transient orcas filtered into the waters. All too soon, the friends found themselves face to face with a creature the like of which neither of them knew existed. The cold, emotionless aqua eyes seemed to bore straight through Ecco and Sarastro and as it sang, Ecco could not understand a note of its song. Sarastro on the other hand had begun to backfin quite rapidly and sang softly to Ecco;

"Marked ones, carriers of Delphineus! I shall enjoy every second of your demise!"


	2. Sea In Turmoil

Ecco felt like his heart had leapt into his mouth. The monster in front of him which was singing in some alien tongue, completely foreign and unfamiliar, was at least the size of an adult blue whale. The beast's head was long and slender, with tusk-like teeth jutting out even when it had its mouth closed. It was so long in size that it blocked off the way it had swam from and Ecco could judge from the size of its flippers that it was far from being a slow swimmer. Escape seemed like a very unlikely option in these circumstances, he inwardly steeled himself to become the next victim of the silent death. _Delphineus wanted to spare me the trials of calfhood so that I could meet him courtesy of the jaws of something a thousand times worse. This would not pain me so if not for Sarastro, she will have no choice but to……_Suddenly hit with an idea, Ecco was brought out of his negative and desolate thoughts. Quickly, he scanned around the area to the left of him and the right with his sonar. The beach was only a short swim away if he could make it to the left, while Sarastro was floating in terror to his right. A sense of hope crept through him, there was a chance of escape from this horrible situation if he acted quickly before the leviathan in front of him did.

"Sarastro, come here!" he called out loudly but calmly. Sarastro swam over to Ecco's side, never taking her eyes off the monster.

"Can you possibly distract whatever that thing is for a few seconds?" Ecco asked calmly, "I may have a way for us to get away with our lives and our bodies intact." Sarastro turned her head so fast from the monster to look at Ecco that the bottlenose was amazed that she did not strain a muscle or two in her neck.

"Distract? You want me to distract _that?_" she exclaimed in disbelief, "How do you suggest I do that, exactly?" Ecco surfaced for a quick breath. It had not gone unnoticed to him how the monster was taking a long time to strike. It seemed to be toying with both he and Sarastro, as an orca might chase a bottlenose and take small nibbles out of it for a time before finally tearing it to shreds.

"You seem to understand whatever tongue that thing sings in," he hummed lowly in a whispering manner, "ask it for its name, beg for your life. Do something for me to get ready to save our lives!" Swallowing deeply, Sarastro swam closer to the long-headed monster. The steely aqua eyes shone with merriment as the beast surveyed the Irrawady with amusement.

"Mighty hunter, supreme killer of the seas," her song was slightly shaky, but was in the same unknown dialect which Ecco was unfamiliar to, "I beseech you, please do not slay myself or my smaller friend. May I also have the great honour of knowing the name of my killer?" The monster roared in a cold laugh before responding to Sarastro's song.

"You are truly foolish to ask such a thing, marked one," she sang back, "once I have finished with you and the thin one, no creature shall be able to find a trace of your bodies. As for my name, I am known as Ligalotean." She began to swim slowly in a circle, her cold eyes never leaving Sarastro but her attention had waned entirely from Ecco. The male was busy feasting himself upon the small school of fish which was swimming closer to the beach. Once he had eaten his fill and felt his muscles surge with energy, Ecco turned and rammed the mysterious monster on its side where he saw it had a very large set of gill slits. Unprepared for this attack and the pain which came from the hard hitting dolphin, Ligalotean threw her head back and roared loudly in anger before rounding on Ecco. The dolphin sped off as soon as he saw the beast charge. He once more slid himself straight up onto the sandy beach, beaching on purpose. Ligalotean followed in her rage and found herself unintentionally stranded on a shallow sandbank which Ecco had overcome with the greatest of ease. Unable to support her enormous bulk, she was unable to wriggle herself back into the deeper water where she had come from. Ecco frantically wriggled and writhed a little over to a portion of beach where he could get back into the sea. Before he was able to get into the water enough to swim away to safety, Ecco was caught on the side by one of Ligalotean's tusk-like teeth. Gasping with pain, he found himself being dragged into the water by Sarastro, who had one of his pectoral fins in her mouth.

"Come on….." he crooned with pain, "that thing won't……stay beached forever……let's get to safety." With pained motions, Ecco began swimming off alongside Sarastro as the monster thrashed and roared with rage on the beach behind them. The singers travelled for a number of days, not really paying attention to how many times the sun and the moon passed over their heads. They were not really swimming anywhere in particular, just trying to make sense of the thing which had pursued them so relentlessly and was killing any creature which took its fancy in the sea. For three turns of the sun and moon alternating, neither Ecco nor Sarastro discussed what they had faced back in their beautiful sun-warmed sea where the spotted dolphins played and frolicked. As they swam, the deep wound on Ecco's side stopped bleeding and it was a sign of how every creature in the ocean was terrified with this new threat that they were not tailed by a single shark interested in Ecco's blood trail. They let their minds get rest as they swam, not pausing even for a meal until they reached a part of sea where it curved inwards to between two stretches of land. The trees here, Ecco noticed, where of a very different variety to those which had lined the beach where he had swam from. The land was also different, being covered in a strange green substance as opposed to golden scratchy sand. In this inlet, the dolphins finally stopped their relentless journey as their bodies were crying out desperately for food and rest. The fish here were much larger than those in the sea around the golden beach, and also much more challenging to catch. Ecco was having a difficult time in the hunt, Sarastro only faired a little better as she showed Ecco how fast she could move with her large flexible flippers to aid her. Soon, though, they were eating fish happily and rejoicing as their stomachs happily absorbed the sustenance being put into them.

"Now, can you tell me about that thing we escaped?" Ecco sang happily as his stomach bulged slightly, "What was its name and how do you know what song it sings in?" Sarastro took a shaky breath before returning to Ecco's side.

"The monster said it is called Ligalotean," she lulled in her beautiful song, "it told me its name easily enough after saying it would see that no trace of our bodies would drift down to the seabed. The voice suggested to me that the beast is a female. I knew her song only because I was taught the ancient song she sings in by my pod during calfhood. There are many legends among our kind about that song, some claim it is the song of Delphineus himself, others say it is that which the legendary Atlanteans sang alongside the first whales to swim the seas. I do know that not every singer of the sea knows the ancient song, not every singer is capable of singing in that dialect. I do not know the truth behind the song or why Ligalotean only knows to communicate in that tongue alone. I am glad you are with me, though, I doubt I could have faced that thing alone." Ecco gently rubbed his pectoral fin against Sarastro's, flattered by her trust in him. Suddenly and unexpectedly, a large black shape swam from the back of the inlet where the dolphins were resting. As it loomed closer, the shape revealed itself to be an orca. The relative small size coupled with the placid look in its eyes immediately relaxed both dolphins; this was a resident which fed exclusively upon fish. The small curved dorsal fin showed the orca to be female and she released a low peaceful song.

"Bottlenose and swollen-melon," she sang gently, "what brings such an unusual couple of podmates to these waters?" Ecco swam slowly to the orca. Her abdomen was rounded and swollen, giving the indication she was with calf and far into her pregnancy. She was a very young orca from what Ecco could tell, due to her lack of scars and her general excellent body condition.

"We are fleeing a terrible silent killer known as Ligalotean," he replied politely, "we are seeking help, for this horrible beast is destroying the harmony all singers and indeed all swimmers of the sea have enjoyed for so long. Do you, the mighty orcas, know anything about the chasm-mouthed hunter that lurks?" The female orca surfaced for a breath, hindered by her large bulk, before responding to the enquiring dolphin.

"I do not know of this killer, other than what songs have reached me and my pod here," her song was firm and never lost its polite tone, "in Johnstone Straight, we lead a happily secluded life away from the rest of the sea. My only suggestion to you and your swollen-melon friend would be to seek out the Big Blue. He is the wisest of the blue whales and is said to be the oldest singer in the sea. If any singer knows of this silent killer, he surely will." Ecco squeaked and clicked with joy at having something to go on other than the rumours which different singers were sending everywhere.

"I thank you, mistress of the straight," he replied respectfully, dipping his head as far as he could, "may I know your name before my friend and I resume our journey? Could you also tell us where we could go to find the Big Blue?" The orca swam with Ecco and Sarastro to the open mouth of the inlet. She stopped there with them, regarding them both with her beautifully deep brown eyes.

"Swim north to find the Big Blue, he goes there to rest beneath the pack ice," she sang gently, "I am called Trankrena and feel free to stop in the straight to rest and feed if you both ever feel the need again." With these happy songs, Ecco and Sarastro bid farewell to the pregnant orca and set off again on their journey. For the far north where it grew so cold the water itself froze over on its surface.


	3. Open Ocean

Ecco and Sarastro were bothing having serious doubts about the marathon swim they would have to embark upon if they hoped to seek counsel with the Big Blue. Both of them had heard songs tell of the open ocean being very cold and very dangerous for even a pod of singers to swim through, never mind a couple of dolphins which were trying to avoid a ferocious beast capable of disembowelling a blue whale with one bite. _I must remember, though, that I am not completely alone out here,_ Ecco thought, _she may only be as young and naïve about the seas as me, but at least she has the heart to swim with me. _There was something becoming increasingly obvious to him the more time that he found himself in the company of the unusual Irrawady dolphin. She had talents and knowledge the like of which Ecco never knew existed in any region; he suspected even she had no idea how much ability she held with her hauntingly beautiful song. The first few days and nights they spent travelling without any major incidents occurring. They were painfully alert to every expanse of open sea they swam through, sonar waves being sent back and forth, and ready to reveal the presence of any predator in waiting. Ecco had no desire to come up against a pod of wandering orcas otherwise known as transients, or a great white shark, on his travels north. He recalled the songs his mother would tell him when he was a calf about the orcas which led a wandering life. They were huge beasts, some of them larger than the great white sharks, and they were feared for their appetite to other singers. He was told that if he encountered a pod of these fearsome warriors, they would not think twice to rip him fin from fin. However, the deep wound he had sustained at the jaws of Ligalotean served as a reminder that the young bottlenose had out swam bigger things than an orca or a great white shark. The salt water had healed the wound so that it no longer pained him and was slowly turning into a rather large scar. Catching fish as they swam, sinking into half sleep on their continuous journey north while their bodies kept up the determined pace, both dolphins could feel their muscles hardening and they were growing less tired with the strain their bodies were being put under. One day, not long after the sun had risen, Ecco could sense something very different in the seas. The waters around him were filled with tension and unease. It was a few seconds before he realised Sarastro was no longer swimming alongside him, but had stopped a few strokes behind him.

"Sarastro, what is the matter?" he enquired worriedly as he swam back to her side. Sarastro's eyes were darting frantically as she remained frozen in the spot she had stopped at.

"There is great danger here, Ecco," she faltered nervously, "somewhere in the gloom ahead of us. I can sense it!" Ecco rubbed his pectoral fin over Sarastro's in an attempt to soothe her, but he too was feeling very wary, having learned to trust the female's instincts very well.

"Perhaps we should keep going, whatever lies ahead of us we shall face together," he whistled in an attempt to soothe her. Sensing another presence approaching from behind him, Ecco turned to face whatever was coming to greet them. His heart seemed to have stopped beating and it was his turn to be paralysed with fear, as the largest fish he had ever seen came swimming into view. It was very long and lithely built, possessing the same elegance Ligalotean had displayed in her swimming patterns. On its sides were narrow gill slits, its eyes black and lifeless without emotion. Its teeth were displayed in a very cruel smile and the fish was only too happy to show them off to its intended prey.

"Going somewhere, air-breathers?" the cold, cruel voice was male, "but my friends and I were hoping you would join us for dinner." Out of the gloom from all around Ecco and Sarastro, at least a dozen more of these fierce-looking fish swam into view, all with the same hungry yet emotionless look in their eyes. The tops of their bodies was slate grey while the bottoms where a brilliant white colour. They began circling their prey impatiently; waiting to decide what manner in which to tear apart the dolphins they had trapped. Ecco surfaced for a breath, always followed closely by the large fishes.

"I know what fish you are, I would know you if I saw you in my half sleep," his song sounded braver than he felt, "you are white pointers, the great white sharks, white bringers of death. I heard that you were powerful and deadly creatures on your own, but if you really are so weak that you have to band together to hunt, I have to wonder if you really are worthy of the fear that singers have for you." This elicited the reaction from the shark which Ecco had secretly been hoping for. _If these things are planning on killing me anyway, why should I give them an easy time of it?_ The shark swam back and forth in anger, enraged by the dolphin's taunting.

"Foolish mammal, taunting the creature which is ready to tear you apart," his cold voice brimmed with rage. Suddenly and without warning, the shark's eyes rolled back in their sockets and his teeth lunged forward so that Ecco and Sarastro could see the pale gums at the base of them. Ecco quickly dove underneath the shark before charging upwards, ramming the shark with his beak full force in the stomach. The shark groaned slightly in pain while the bottlenose continued a relentless attack upon the predator, ramming his beak wherever he could hit. The other sharks could only look on in curiosity as Ecco beat their leader to death with his beak. Soon, the shark drifted slowly down into the gloom, his eyes staring emptily at some fixed point which he was unable to see. The other sharks all launched into action at the same time, swarming around Ecco and Sarastro and trying to sink their teeth in wherever they could get a grip. A few of the sharks descended to the seabed after the corpse of their own, not paying heed to the healthy dolphins in very real danger of being slaughtered. Sarastro squealed in pain as she felt two sharks sink their teeth deeply into her elongated pectoral fins. She was determined not to meet Delphineus in this manner; she would not give in without a good fight. Thrashing back and forward, she threw her body backwards so her tail flukes came flying upward and she hit one of the sharks hurting her hard on the side of the head. While this was happening, Ecco was ramming any shark he could with his beak, trying to blot out the intense pain coursing through his body as more sharks kept sinking their teeth in and drawing more blood from the dolphin. As he fought back with every ounce of strength, hurting sharks and killing a few more with his powerful blows, Ecco was dimly aware of the stars on his melon glowing unnaturally bright. He could feel consciousness slipping away, along with what he felt was his life. As he felt himself slip into the abyss of blackness, Ecco heard a long, desperate song ring out. It was calling for help and there was what almost sounded like an answering burst of sonar.

_In his mind, Ecco found himself in an unfamiliar stretch of ocean. This place he was in, it was barren and empty all around as far as his eyes and sonar could reach. Sarastro was nowhere to be found, the many sharks which had been attacking him were gone. He began to wonder idly if he was indeed dead, claimed by the 'hungry ones' as the singers were prone to calling the sharks. His body bore no sign of injury, even the healing wound which Ligalotean had inflicted upon him was not to be found. Suddenly, Ecco could sense the presence of another approaching. Once more, the young male could tell the stars upon his melon were glowing with an unworldly brightness. Turning apprehensively, Ecco found himself face to face with the largest dolphin he had ever seen in his life. It was the size of a mature male transient orca, a beautifully bright white in colour and its eyes were the same shade of aqua blue which Ligalotean's had been. Before Ecco could start, the dolphin sang strongly yet kindly:_

"_Young Ecco, do not fear me nor this hallowed place you are in. You are not dead as you may have originally thought, but merely in a state of unconsciousness. I came to see you for I have some information to share with you."_

_The authoritative voice was a male and Ecco began to wonder what manner of dolphin he was indeed face to face with. _

"_Does your information have anything to do with my star-like markings?" Ecco asked calmly. The white dolphin bowed his head in a cetacean manner of nodding his agreement. _

"_Your stars will glow brightly quite frequently from this point on in your journey," the dolphin explained, "they do that as your physical strength and abilities grow. As you may have guessed, Ecco, your journey has only just begun. I shall give you a song to aid you in such times as you find yourself overwhelmed by many adversaries, particularly the hungry ones. If you combine your sonar with your charge, this song shall confuse the hungry ones or creatures with shark blood in them." Ecco's mind immediately filled with what seemed like a large mountain of knowledge; the song he could use to escape the jaws of death was indeed long and complicated. He almost wondered how he was expected to perform such a complex song and was about to ask the white dolphin whether Sarastro would be better with this gift when the dolphin spoke._

"_Sarastro does possess talents long forgotten, but it is not her destiny to learn songs such as this," his words were enigmatic and very confusing, "farewell, Ecco, and know I shall always be with you on your journey." Before he could enquire as to the mysterious dolphin's identity, Ecco could feel the ocean and the dolphin swirl away from him as his mind drifted to another plain._

His eyes, oh how his eyes felt so heavy. Ecco could barely bring himself to open his eyes, his entire body ached and stung from the onslaught it had been subjected to. A deep, rumbling song roused him to awaken; it was as soothing as the song his mother used to sing to him when he was but a young calf. Letting out a squeak of groaning, Ecco opened his eyes to find himself no longer supporting his own body in the water. He was resting on what felt like a flat, smooth black rock. It was not stationary and he noticed that the plethora of sharks were no longer anywhere to be seen; he was being carried gently through the water at a pace which was not too fast nor was it too slow. Casting his eyes along the back of the benevolent presence, the young dolphin realised he was in the care of a humpback whale. The mighty tail flukes rose and fell in lazy, easy swoops which powered the mighty filter feeder on its way. The huge pectoral fins also rose in gentle sloping motions as the whale appeared to be in no major rush to be swimming anywhere and did not seem harassed at having a bottlenose dolphin riding just in front of its blowhole.

"I see that you are awake, young singer," the deep voice belonged to a mature female, "I did not hold much hope out for you or your odd looking travelling companion. My pod and I feared that we were too late to save you from the jaws of the hungry ones." Immediately, Ecco was jolted to full awareness as his eyes darted around frantically for any sign of Sarastro, his sonar working like mad trying to pinpoint her position. He relaxed only when his sonar detected her resting on the massive bulk of another humpback female just a few swim strokes behind him and the female which was carrying him along so effortlessly.

"May I ask of you, mighty singer, what happened?" Ecco's song was full of confusion which could not be hidden, "The last thing I recall was being surrounded by hungry ones, them eating me alive and dimly hearing a song of distress go out to which there was a response." The humpback surfaced for a breath, taking Ecco clear of the water which showed him it was in the complete dead of the night; he realised he had been out of it for most of the day. The stars of the constellation Delphineus were shining brightly and Ecco realised for the first time how his own stars seemed to be in the same order as the stars of the dolphin God. _Wonder if that it more than mere coincidence. _Once they were back beneath the waves, the female took a large gulp of seawater before starting to sing.

"I shall fill you in on your missing day, young singer," she rumbled, "my pod and I were swimming on our way north back to our feeding grounds, as we do every year once the breeding season is behind us. We had entered the widest expanse of the open ocean when we heard a song of distress which we knew came from a dolphin of some sort. I immediately replied to the call, hoping to let the sender know that help was on the way. In no time, we reached the area where several hungry ones were tearing into you and your friend, so we made short work of them. A few well aimed strikes of our tail flukes and most of them were dead, with only a handful surviving to speed away as fast as their tails could power them. Both you and your friend were floating unconscious and you especially were on the verge of death. We wondered if it was worth our time to carry you both along with us, as we believed you would not survive the day. In the end, we decided to let fate decide if you would thrive or perish, with us taking care of you both." Ecco tentatively rolled his eye backwards to survey the injuries he had sustained due to the great white sharks and was in complete shock at the damage they had caused; great teeth marks, multiple rips and tears into his previously unmarked and youthful looking hide all made him look a lot older than he actually was. They seemed to have stopped bleeding due to the salt water which was of some relief, although Ecco wondered how long it would be before he could swim without any pain or discomfort in the act. Lifting his body off that of his carrier, the young male swam beside her, gazing into her large brown eye as he swam.

"I appreciate the help you have given me, mighty one," he sang humbly, "I would not be alive now if not for you and your pod. My name is Ecco and my friend is called Sarastro. We were travelling to the far North when we were attacked by the hungry ones. Do you know anything about why they would attack in such a large school as they did back there?" The humpback cow gestured to her baleen-filled mouth where Ecco could see a rather large and tasty looking herring had gotten stuck. Understanding her hint, he lunged forward to take the offered morsel and it felt like the best meal he had ever had in his life.

"The hungry ones are scared and restless," she replied in a tone of mournful worry, "they fear the thing which swims the deepest depths and has no name. All singers, including the sei and blue whales, swim in fear of this monster as well. It is said that none who encounter it survive to tell others of what happened." Ecco took a deep breath at the surface, ready to tell the humpback what he knew.

"That's not entirely true, matriarch," he sang nervously, "Sarastro and I faced the silent killer but a few moons ago. We managed to escape, although not entirely without harm as I did sustain a rather nasty bite on my right flank. The beast in question goes by the name of Ligalotean and she seems to have something against all singers of the sea. We do not understand what exactly; we know little of the monster as does every other inhabitant of the sea. The only option we have is to seek counsel with the Big Blue, as we managed to really irritate Ligalotean by escaping. Every dawn that we swim, we believe that we are being pursued and are in danger of being sent to Delphineus by that thing which swims after us. Hopefully the Big Blue can enlighten us to where this beast came from and hopefully, how we can fight back." The humpback's eyes lit up in amusement, as she contemplated the bravery of the small singer swimming beside her and the yet smaller singer still being carried behind her. Both of them were willing to face a creature at least ten times the size they were, in order to restore peace to their ocean home.

"My name is Wavediver, young Ecco," she rumbled, "I am indeed as you guessed the matriarch of my pod. Not too long ago, I gave birth to a young male calf which swims just beneath me. Every dawn and night which passes, I worry that this Ligalotean will catch up with us and rip me and my pod apart. If you and your funny looking friend are searching for a way to defeat her, then we shall do all we can to help you on your journey. No hungry one shall attack you as long as you swim within a pod of healthy humpback whales. I want my son to survive to adulthood without fear of being hunted. We are swimming the same way as you, although we stop short of where the ice sheets begin. That is where our feeding grounds lie. If you wish, you may stay with us, feed on herring with us and rest your weary bodies on our backs as we swim." Ecco could hardly contain his joy at this turn of fortune which seemed to have come his way. Swimming back to where Sarastro was resting, the bottlenose couldn't stop clicking and squeaking happily as he saw his friend alive although even more badly injured than him; her enlarged pectoral fins were badly ripped, her dorsal fin had almost been ripped cleanly off her back and her back and body were criss-crossed with teeth marks where many sharks had attempted to take large chunks away. Her piercing eyes, which were a unique mixture of brown and green, still had a look of determination and strength in them. It seemed to Ecco that no hungry one would ever break the spirit of his Irrawaddy companion, and for this he silently thanked whoever was listening.

"Sarastro, thank you for sending out a song of distress when you did!" he called loudly and happily, "Not only did these humpbacks come to our rescue, but their matriarch has agreed to give us safe passage to the North waters. We are free to travel with them, regain our strength and we shall not be attacked as long as we are in their companionship. How are you feeling, my brave friend?" Sarastro gently rubbed one of her torn pectoral fins against one of Ecco's, her eyes showing how relieved she was at seeing her friend alive.

"I have felt much better, Ecco," her haunting song carried a tone of amusement, "but I believe I shall survive. I was able to send out sonar for help just before I slipped into the darkness. That is truly a good thing that the matriarch will see us safely to the end of our journey, I have no desire to fight anything else." Ecco clicked in his manner of laughing at the comment she had made. He could tell she was still very weary, so he caught her large herring which swam past him in an attempt to get out of the path the mighty humpbacks were swimming in. Once she had eaten, Sarastro let her eyes close as the need to keep them open once more became too great. Satisfied she would be fine soon, Ecco swam back to where Wavediver was swimming as he too felt the extent of his injuries fatigue him. Curling up on the smooth head of the giant, the young bull let his mind drift into half sleep.


	4. The Polar Seas

Many days and nights passed overhead before the mighty humpback pod reached a point where the sea began to get considerably colder. During this section of the journey, Ecco and Sarastro had not only been feeding to regain strength, but also had been swimming as hard as they could alongside the gigantic whales. This had resulted in their bodies and muscles within becoming toned and hardened and, as such, they found they could swim a lot faster than ever before and also for longer distances at such a pace. Sarastro's terrible wounds had healed amazingly well, although her body would forever carry the terrible marks of what the sharks had inflicted upon her. Her pectoral fins would forever be ripped so it looked as though they were flowing sails with ragged ends on them. Ecco's heart was lifted, though, as he noticed these things did not bother the Irrawady at all; she was simply happy at being alive. Neither of them had noticed the chaos in the sea around them as they stayed very well hidden among Wavediver and the other members of her pod. After almost being eaten by Ligalotean and then a large school of sharks, the dolphins weren't ready to take any chances that some other creature of the sea would want to feast on them. Once they reached the part of the world where they could see large areas of ice floating on top of the water, Ecco knew that this was the place where he and Sarastro would once more have to carry on alone. The pod stopped abruptly and the dolphins swam to the front of the humpbacks.

"This is where we part ways, Ecco," Wavediver sang gently, "beware the shifting of the ice floes, for they have claimed the life of many a singer who has ventured among them. If you swim to where they part in the middle, at the very top of the world, I believe that is where the Big Blue swims. I wish you luck on the rest of your journey, stay safe my small friend." Ecco and Sarastro sang their farewells before swimming among the sheets of ice on their own. Neither knew what to expect in these cold and alien waters, but certainly Ecco was caught completely off guard when he spied upon a large school of sharks. From what he had heard being sung from the singers who had travelled these far, sharks were very much ill-equipped to survive in the freezing temperatures. Any shark which attempted to survive in this place would surely die a slow and agonising death, a fate like that only being spared from those who were well insulated against the cold. These sharks looked remarkably different to the others Ecco had encountered, with the body shape similar to a great white, but the colouration more akin to a leopard shark. Reacting on instinct, Ecco rammed Sarastro in the side and forced her down before the sharks could detect their presence.

"By Delphineus, I thought the polar seas were free of sharks!" Ecco squealed nervously, "these are truly strange and dangerous waters we find ourselves in, Sarastro." After he finished singing, the bottlenose heard the cries of a singer in distress. Turning to where he could hear the sound coming from, he spotted Sarastro being dragged down towards the frozen seabed by what looked like a gigantic crab, but it lacked any sort of pincers. It had gripped Sarastro with several long, spindly legs and was merely sinking to the bottom, dragging the squealing singer with it. Not wasting a second, Ecco butted the strange creature hard with his hard beak, repeatedly until it relinquished its grip on Sarastro and sank to the seabed lifeless. Unnerved by the alien life forms in the water around them, both dolphins wasted no time in staying in one area for very long as they searched for the big blue. Ecco was scanning every square inch of his surroundings with his sonar, hunting for the gentle giant he knew to be lurking somewhere. Silent songs of wisdom were creeping through the water to both he and Sarastro, which filled them with hope that the big blue was not too far off. Sarastro, meanwhile, was trying to keep a keen eye out for any danger while her friend continued his searching. She had to shove him out of the way of an attacking shark on more than one occasion, trying desperately to get him to pay more attention to his surroundings. The bottlenose male was too busy concentrating to pay her any heed, but he was abruptly brought out of his reverie by the sound of something very heavy crashing close by. Instinct told him something was terribly wrong, which was only clarified when he saw that the open area Sarastro and he had come into was full of giant ice blocks falling downwards at random.

"Sarastro, try and stay close to me while we get past these ice floes," Ecco sounded more sure than he felt inside. These things terrified him to look at, but he remembered the words of Wavediver, telling him to travel beyond the ice floes to reach the big blue. His heart was telling him to continue in spite of the danger. Both of them swam swiftly, darting back and forth between the chunks of ice. Ecco felt his heart soar; they were going to get through this obstacle course in one piece. Once he was at the other side, he turned around to check Sarastro was unscathed. Immediately, his heart leapt into his mouth as he saw his friend was nowhere to be seen. Sonar going frantically, he only relaxed when it picked up her shape and presence not too far away. However, the sonar also alerted Ecco to another dolphin shape closer to him, one that when he turned to look was in eye view. It was black and white, much larger than even the great white sharks he had encountered in the open ocean and gave off a tremendous aura of power. The curved dorsal fin on the creature coupled with its colours reminded Ecco vaguely of the orca Trankrena he had encountered before he had started his journey north, but this animal was much larger than that female had been.

"I can tell by your body shape you are dolphin," he sang bravely, "I can tell by your colours you are orca. Can you tell me what manner of orca you are and what you are doing here alone?" The other singer swam over to Ecco, a gleaming glint shining in its eyes.

In another section of the polar seas, Sarastro was swimming aimlessly, searching back and forth with her sonar. She could find no trace of Ecco anywhere and it disturbed her somewhat to be in such an alien place alone. Just as she was giving up any hope, the young dolphin's sonar picked up what was undoubtedly another delphine shape in the gloom. It was too big to be Ecco, but she figured any singer in this frozen hell would be welcoming and friendly. As she got closer, she saw it to be an orca not unlike the pregnant Trankrena from Johnstone Straight. However, this orca was much larger than the resident had been, with a dorsal fin that stood higher than any she had seen before. His left eye was maimed by a deep and ragged scar which ran down his face. It looked fairly fresh and only added to the aura of ferocity this creature was giving off. Turning swiftly, the leviathan sped straight in the direction of Sarastro, jaws champing eagerly for a piece of her flesh. Barely avoiding the orca's teeth, Sarastro turned and darted away frantically. Her heart was pounding, her mind completely gone into blind panic as she tried with all of her might to get away from the predator in pursuit. More than once, she felt the graze of the orca's teeth against her flukes as she continued pushing her body to its limits. It was only her agility which saved her from being caught on those occasions, as she managed to twist her body out of reach of the much faster hunter. However, the Irrawady could only keep this up for so long before her body would run out of energy. It seemed as though this was the case, as her eyes began to droop and her body began to slow. Every muscle was spent, every organ in desperate need for oxygen as Sarastro felt the black of unconsciousness consume her. Satisfied that he was about to get a meal, Okura opened his jaws wide and was set for tearing a large chunk from his prey when he was completely disorientated all of a sudden. His head felt as though it was about to explode with pain as horrendous screeching reached his ears. This was coupled with hard butts into the orca's sides; repeated ramming motions which he could tell were causing immense bruising. His sonar picked up the shapes of singers, but his one good eye couldn't see anything.

"You have no right chasing a singer through our waters, beast!" a male sang angrily, "Especially as you are of dolphin kind yourself. Such an act is punishable by death alone among our kind!" Okura squinted his good eye, trying desperately to pick out the form of who was addressing him, but he could see nothing but white in each direction.

"And what exactly is your kind, singer?" he roared back, refusing to be intimidated, "or are you too proud or fearful to show yourself to that whom you have prisoner!" This got a reaction as the orca had anticipated, with several of the dolphins his sonar had picked up showing themselves. They reminded him of narwhals in their shapes, with the same swollen melons and the slightly chunky bodies with small pectoral fins and no dorsal fins. Their bodies were larger than those of the narwhals, however, and were a brilliant white all over. The singer who had addressed the incapacitated orca so forcefully swam forward and drew his body level with the predator, glaring into the monster's good eye.

"We are beluga, orca!" the male's voice lost none of its rage; "we may look in many ways like the tusk-bearing narwhals, but let me assure you, we are not as weak as those creatures are!" The beluga's eyes were a cold brown colour almost as black as night, filled with the utmost hate for Okura. Although this singer as only about a third of his size, the orca found himself admiring and respecting the strength which the white one radiated. These were surely singers not to be messed with and it looked as though his fate would be sealed with them.

"My name is Okura, beluga," he snarled, not used to being polite to what he would normally hunt, "I'm guessing you and your kind have heard of the fun me and my mate had with the narwhals before, otherwise you would not have made such a blatant comparison between yourselves and them." He noticed out of the corner of his eye that a couple of the white whales had taken Sarastro towards the surface for air. His chosen prey just drifted limply, supported by a beluga on each side for a few minutes, before showing signs of movement. The small singer swam painstakingly downwards to where her pursuer was subdued. His body showed signs of injury, with a large piece ripped from his dorsal fin and gashes along his back. She could tell by the uncomfortable position he was in that his sides had been hammered repeatedly to cause internal bruising. The orca's eye while defiant was full of remorse and loneliness.

"You realise, demon dolphin that your idea of fun,"the beluga roared, "is what caused the many-toothed killer to be set free! The idiotic narwhals released her in a narrow-minded attempt to get revenge on you and your mate. Now, because of them and you, we are all doomed. If I were you, I would pray for mercy from Delphineus when you see him!" The belugas all swam closer to Okura and lined up side by side together to create a wall of white around him and began summoning all of their energy to unleash their greatest weapon. Sarastro, although she had never encountered belugas before, knew that if they all sang at once, the orca would be dead within a second. Her heart was screaming at her not to let such needless carnage happen.

"STOP!" her high-pitched song rang out and the beluga group stopped before singing. They all turned to regard the Irrawady dolphin with curiosity and irritation. The male who had sang before approached Sarastro, fins flattened in an act of aggression.

"This demon almost killed you and has condemned the rest of us," he blasted, "yet you want him spared! Do you realise that because of the many-toothed killer, every single narwhal has been wiped out? What is your reason for wanting this sick creature to live!" Despite her smaller size and youth, Sarastro refused to be intimidated. Facing down at least a dozen hungry sharks coupled with the cavernous jaws of Ligalotean meant she had very little fear left when facing another singer.

"The many-toothed killer as you call it has a name, and she's called Ligalotean!" her song was full of fire, "plus, you're obviously not as strong as you make out to be, otherwise you wouldn't just decide you're all food for her without a fight!" This surprised the beluga rather than infuriate him more. He swam around the smaller singer, taking in her countless scars and enlarged pectoral fins. It seemed to spark something within his mind, a flicker of recognition passed across his eyes. Indeed, his eyes were an odd colour, as one was brown and the other green.

"You have fire in you, reminiscent of the belugas of old," he commented, "indeed, your markings and body shape I have only seen one other such creature bear. Perhaps there is a way to defeat this Ligalotean. Come with me." With a nod to the other belugas, the male swam silently back into the never-ending white from whence he had come. Sarastro kept pace alongside him, curious yet uncertain about what she was about to uncover. There was nothing on each side of the Irrawady aside from bright white walls. She began to feel somewhat claustrophobic after a short time of swimming, silently praying for a wide open space to present itself. In a short time, her wish was granted when the beluga male had led her to a wide underwater cavern. Unlike most caverns, this one was bathed in an almost heavenly light, making it shine a beautiful light blue and the walls of ice appear a luminescent white. Sarastro couldn't recall when she last had seen anything so beautiful, for in the centre of the room was a large crystal. Through the transparent walls, she could see something concealed within which was a mixture of brown and white.

"This is our kind's greatest treasure," the male beluga's song made Sarastro flinch in surprise, "none alive really understand what lies imprisoned within this glyph, many legends and stories circle of the creature held captive inside."

"Then why are we here?" she sang in response, "if you don't know for certain what manner of creature dwells inside this thing you call a glyph, then why would you set it free?" The beluga said nothing at first, instead swimming down to the bottom of the cavern. Sarastro looked and noticed a small indent with some strange kind of red liquid resting inside it. The beluga lowered his pectoral fins and swam through the strange substance so that his fins were coated in a deep, bright red. He approached the glyph once again, drawing his body up so it was almost vertical in the water.

"Narwhals and belugas are two halves of one great circle," he explained, "We are both very alike, yet completely different at the same time. Our ancestry is the same, though neither of our kind can recall where it all began. My belief is that if the thing narwhals unleashed is a bringer of death, then the treasure of the belugas must surely be a bringer of life and hope. We are very much depleted in number anyway, due to Ligalotean. Every pod of belugas was affected, with the survivors of each pod retreating to this isolated area of the sea. Unless we find someone who can help and protect us, we are surely doomed to extinction. Now, I ask you little Irrawady if you would be kind enough to swim away from the glyph." Sarastro backfinned so she was almost touching the cavern wall. The song which the beluga sang was in the same tongue which Ligalotean had sung, very primitive and soulful.

"_**Swift messenger, come forth, reveal your healing presence to us, your humble servants. Cleanse this world of its evil; restore the peace and harmony long denied. Awaken, strong one, awaken."**_

The entire cavern filled with even more light than it previously had. Sarastro closed her eyes quickly; feeling the sting of bright light hit them even when covered with her eyelids. A completely alien song began emanating throughout the cavern, completely disorientated and angry. The Irrawady could only catch bits of it, as it was like delphine rambling as opposed to proper sentences. Opening her eyes once the light had faded, she spotted what appeared to be another beluga in shape swimming frantically around the cavern. However, this creature had even longer pectoral fins than Sarastro and her body was a strange mixture of brown and white. The white formed markings along the animal's body were similar to the emerald green patterns which Sarastro had, especially on the pectoral fins. However, this swimmer was physically completely flawless with no scars adoring her colourful hide. The eyes were the same cold, bright blue as Ligalotean's and this made Sarastro very nervous.

"Do not be afraid," the male beluga sang gently to Sarastro, "this creature is one of our kind. She is a beluga, but different from the rest of us in many unusual ways. She will not hurt you." The creature turned and locked eyes with Sarastro. Something passed between the singers, a hidden communication which let both of them know there was nothing to fear.

"What is your name?" Sarastro asked gently while approaching the strange beluga. The female reached out and brushed pectoral fins with the smaller female, apparently finding comfort in one who had large fins similar to her own.

"Refer to me as Okapi," her song was full of fear and uncertainty, "you remind me of someone I once knew. Where is Ligalotean?" Sarastro and the male beluga exchanged surprised looks at Okapi's ability to sense she was summoned to fight Ligalotean.

"First things first, I am called Saleiro," the male stated calmly, "at present, I am caretaker of the belugas. I want you to come with me and my small friend here. We shall explain everything as we swim." With this, the three singers swam silently from the cavern, each trying to process what had just happened.


	5. Twists & Turns

"So, you're a female who's lost her mate," Ecco reiterated back, "and you are a kind of orca known as a Transient, which means you like hunting other singers as well as the occasional shark. Am I right?" The large orca nodded her head slowly in agreement. She had eyes that were as black as the night sky in colour, but unlike those of the Great White Sharks, they had emotion in them. This creature was full of sadness, remorse and loneliness. In spite of the size difference and this new knowledge, Ecco could sense this predator was not going to harm him. They swam slowly through the gloom, trying to understand how they had come to be in one another's company.

"I am known as Cariu," the orca sang, "I was here with my mate not long ago, but we got separated after being attacked by a terrible creature called Ligalotean. She said something about wanting us to join with her, otherwise she'd kill us. My mate tried desperately to take her down, but none of his attacks hurt the beast. She wounded him terribly, tearing a chunk from his dorsal fin and ripping one of his eyes out. We decided in the end to confuse the monster by separating and one of us distracted Ligalotean while the other sped to freedom. Okura, the hard-headed brute he is, took it upon himself to keep her busy while I got away. I've been wandering the seas every since, hoping against hope he's all right. I'm just so lost without him!" Ecco was at a complete loss when he saw the larger singer start to shed tears from her eyes. He gently reached out with one of his pectoral fins and rubbed it against her enormous one in an attempt to comfort the female. He then swept the area with his sonar to locate any fish nearby. Spotting a school of small yellow fish just behind the next ice floe, Ecco sped over and began driving them out into the open with his song. Catching onto the dolphin's plan, Cariu sped forward and snapped up several of the fish present in one bite. This seemed to calm the orca and Ecco was thankful that she had stopped crying at least. Ancient songs of wisdom began to fill the dolphin's ears and they made his heart soar within his chest. Wanting to confirm his suspicions, he began combing the area with sonar once more and was amazed to pick up a shape so big his sonar didn't capture it all. Sensing this presence wouldn't bring him harm, he swam to where it was drifting with Cariu keeping pace alongside. There was a long tunnel with beautiful white ice walls, with no trace of sharks or the bizarre crab-like creatures. This was truly a place of peace. After swimming a good way along the tunnel, Ecco came face to face with one of the noblest creatures in the ocean. In his short life, the bottlenose had only encountered one other creature such a great size.

"Big Blue, I have travelled far to reach you," he sang while dipping his head in a bow, "I am here to seek your counsel about the monster known as Ligalotean. I was advised to come to you in search for an answer as to how this beast can be destroyed. This orca has suffered greatly at the jaws of the monster and I want to avenge her pain by bringing this nemesis to her death." The blue whale swam over so one of his gigantic eyes was level with Ecco's head. The orb cast a glance over at the orca before returning to the dolphin, appearing to be deep in thought. It was some time before the giant responded to Ecco and when his song rang out, it shook through his body and that of Cariu.

"Yes, young Ecco I have heard of your journey here," the song was old and wise, "many singers have sang of your brave exploits with your companion, the Irrawady dolphin called Sarastro. How you both escaped the jaws of Ligalotean, and then made friends with a resident orca before taking on a school of Great White Sharks by yourselves. The matriarch of the Northern Humpback pod, Waverider, sang her praises of you and your bravery in getting here. I shall impart what I can to you, young singer, before my time in this sea is over. From what I know, there is only one alive who knows the true origins of Ligalotean and she herself is just finding her fins in our time. The great Delphineus himself came to me in dreams to tell me this, he too informed me of your journey here. He instructed me to tell the bottlenose singer bearing his crest of a place where the only weapon capable of ridding the world of this threat lies. You must travel to where the salt water of the seas meets with the fresh water of the rivers. A very ancient yet powerful order of singers live in the fresh waters and they safeguard the device. However, to gain possession of this weapon, you must also strike an alliance with one of the beaked whales who swim a solitary life in deeper water. The great Delphineus has decreed only when the three sides of the triangle are united shall the singer bearing his crest be able to wield the greatest of cetacean treasures." Ecco waited a while before responding, letting the words of the blue whale sink into his mind. His markings were no mere accident, he had been chosen before birth by the God of the cetaceans to be his crusader. With only an orca by his side, the young bottlenose was expected to once more travel across open waters in order to reach a place where a river met the sea.

"What about this creature who knows of Ligalotean's past?" his questions sang loud and clear, "where does he or she swim now? Who are the other two singers whom I must bring together to unlock this weapon you sing of?" The mighty blue whale appeared to be weakening severely and Ecco noticed, although there was an air pocket within the cavern, the mighty singer did not once surface for air. The humungous bulk of the animal began to spasm with what the young dolphin knew to be final signs of life before death. Before the light of life left his body entirely, the giant of the sea sang a response. Although weak, it did reach the ears of both Ecco and Cariu.

"The creature is a singer, you will meet her soon enough," his final song rang out, "you must unite demon dolphin, deep wanderer and blind guardian. Farewell, Ecco." The spark of life left the blue whale's eye and its body rolled limply to one side. It shook Ecco to the depths of his heart to see such a majestic creature die in front of him. The young male felt tears prick at his eyes, grief deeper than any he had ever known in his short life at the death of this animal. Cariu was unaffected, as she was used to seeing creatures die in front of her, having brought about their deaths herself on more than one occasion. However, seeing the little dolphin get distraught struck a chord within her heart. She swam over and gently licked his tears away on one side. Once Ecco had stopped crying, Cariu swam a short way off and gestured for him to follow.

"I think I can get us out of here and back into warm waters," she sang simply, "This place is not far from where Okura and I came from when we first arrived in the cold seas." Ecco followed mutely, not sure how to respond at first. Everything was still sinking into his mind; all which the Big Blue had told him as well as seeing the majestic singer die a natural death.

"You're coming?" he asked when he found his voice, "but your mate, Okura, could be in these freezing waters somewhere. Would you not rather search for him instead of helping a creature you would normally have for dinner?" Cariu gestured to a point where the ice was thin on the surface and broke through to the open atmosphere. Both she and Ecco expelled the stale air from their lungs and inhaled a fresh, life-giving breath of oxygen in return.

"I believe Okura is still alive and well," she sang firmly, "while I pine and long for his presence, you are in far greater need of my presence than he is. If you were indeed chosen by Delphineus to defeat Ligalotean, then I am more than happy to help you in any manner that I can." Nothing more was said between the orca and the bottlenose dolphin as they sped off towards the ice floes, in the direction of warmer seas.

Okura cast a wary eye over his beluga captors. They had escorted him to the break in the surface ice where he could get fresh air in his lungs before making sure he stayed in the same place he had been in previously. In all of his experiences, the orca had never encountered a group of singers with enough courage and skill to render him helpless and at their mercy. Songs of the orca had sung about belugas being swimming piles of blubber, ripe for the picking and extremely tasty. His experiences with them had completely contradicted this arrogant view his kind held. He could see, though, that several of his captors were covered in deep scars, which suspiciously looked like they had been made by hungry orca jaws. It was obvious these singers held an intense hatred for orcas, yet unlike the narwhals he had previously encountered, the belugas were organised enough not to let anything take advantage of them. Okura was shaken from his thoughts when he spied the beluga male he had encountered earlier returning with the smaller singer he had tried to hunt down and what looked oddly like a cross between orca and beluga. This strange swimmer approached the orca and cast her cold eyes over the orca's body. His blood bubbled with rage as he saw the same aqua colour which had been in Ligalotean's eyes.

"What do you want us to do with this demon dolphin, Queen Okapi?" Saleiro asked with barely-contained contempt in his song. The mutated beluga did not at first seem to hear the male, as she continued her examination of Okura. Each time the orca went to lash out at her, she subdued him with a single glance.

"So, Ligalotean tore your eye out with a single tooth, did she?" Okura flinched visibly at the same old song being sung to him which Ligalotean had used. It also unnerved him how this Okapi creature was able to tell what had happened to him without asking him. He could sense this singer was to be respected, as much as he hated bowing to anything other than orca.

"Yes, she asked my mate and me if we would join with her," he explained, "I tried my best to fight the monster, none shall dictate or rule over me! She tore my eye out, and then screamed her name so the ice floes themselves shook violently. I drew the beast's attention towards myself, allowing my mate time to flee. I can only assume she is alive and well now. You have the same cold eyes Ligalotean had, how do I know you're not working with her?" Okapi's eyes flashed with a hint of aggression before she fired a silent blast of sonar at Okura. Curling his back in agony, the orca couldn't help the screams which he uttered. Something in the back of his mind was telling him to surrender, to give into the will of this strange singer. _If I were like Ligalotean, you would not have a choice on whether to obey me or not. She is ruthless, cold and any creature she truly wants on her side, they have no option. I'm not like her; hence I'm not making you bend to my will. Now, be silent!_ Immediately, Okura felt the intense pain leave his head and his thoughts cleared completely. He could no longer hear Okapi's voice in his mind and was thankful for this. Not wanting to antagonise her further, he fell silent and merely looked at her with stubbornness in his eye.

"Ligalotean's not at her full power yet," Okapi sang to Saleiro, "otherwise, this orca would be under her power. Now, you said the waters around here are full of sharks. You also mentioned these along with Ligalotean have severely reduced the beluga numbers, am I right?" The beluga swam over and nodded in agreement. Okura noted the other male's pectoral fins were now a deep red colour which stood out in stark contrast to his natural white.

"Due to this creature, Ligalotean, two thirds of belugas have been wiped out;" he sang sadly, "The ones she didn't slaughter herself were picked off by the legions of sharks that followed her trail of blood. We were once in the region of twenty thousand, now we are down to just over a thousand in number. Most of the females are pregnant with the next generation and we must reach warmer waters before they have their young. However, due to the sharks, we cannot think of swimming from here without being picked off." Sarastro reached out a pectoral fin and stroked one of Saleiro's red ones in an attempt to soothe him. Although she was not one of them, the Irrawady felt a strange connection to these singers of the North. Okapi watched the smaller singer's attempt to soothe the beluga and this stirred something inside her heart. A feeling she had not known for a very long time.

"Then, we shall need this orca to swim with us; at least until we reach your breeding grounds," Okapi kept singing above the cries of outrage from the belugas, "he's strong enough to fight off creatures like sharks better than we can. Unless you want to go extinct like the narwhals, you will heed my advice to you!" This immediately shut up the protesting singers. Okapi turned and looked straight into Okura's eye before once more singing straight into his mind. _If you swim alone, you will be completely powerless against Ligalotean if you meet her again. I doubt she will let you live a second time. If you swim with us, I shall help you find your mate once the belugas are in their breeding grounds. Consider this bargain._ She broke the mental chain once more and approached Sarastro, gesturing that they go off alone a short distance. The singers only stopped swimming once Okapi was sure none of the other singers could hear them.

"Young singer," her song was full of tenderness as she addressed Sarastro, "this is not your fight. Ligalotean's a monster like no other which has existed in the seas. The carnage she has caused so far is nothing compared to the devastation she can inflict when at her full power. I'm giving you the option of swimming with the belugas and myself to their breeding grounds, and then you can swim to safer waters from there." Sarastro pressed one side of her body against that of Okapi's so they were looking directly into each others' eye. This completely surprised the mutated beluga and this showed in her aqua eye.

"My name is Sarastro, Okapi," she replied gently, "I came this far with a bottlenose dolphin named Ecco, in search of a way to defeat Ligalotean. I aim to see this to the end, no matter the outcome. Until I find Ecco again at least, I'm not going anywhere that you're not. Besides, you need a friend who can sing your ancient song." Okapi was silent for some time after this, deep in thought. Images of her past circled her mind, haunting her and shaking her entire body. She snapped out of her reverie when she remembered where she was and who she was with.

"That's very noble of you, Sarastro," Okapi sang softly, "in that case, I shall teach you tricks and abilities none but the Atlanteans have used. They will help you stay clear of Ligalotean's jaws and fight back enough so you can get away from her. When we get to the breeding grounds, would you like to learn from me?" Sarastro could only nod in agreement. She knew this singer was unique and anything Okapi could teach her could only be good. As both singers returned to the belugas and orca, they separated and Okapi once more approached Okura.

"Have you considered my offer, orca?" she sang icily. Okura circled the mutated curiosity, trying to think of an answer that would at least protect his pride. There was no way he would simply bow to a creature he would normally hunt without something in it for him.

"I will escort you and your pod, squid-sucker," he growled lowly, "but if you can't help me find Cariu, I'll tear the Irrawady dolphin to shreds and take great pleasure in doing so!" Okapi suppressed a surge of aggression towards the orca. Getting angry would make her no better than Ligalotean, so she simply dipped her head in a nod of agreement. Swimming over to Saleiro, she gave the song of gathering to him so he could call the other belugas out of hiding and they could set off. Not waiting for everyone to gather around her, Okapi swam off in the direction of the open sea with Sarastro by her side and Okura following a short distance behind.


	6. Unlikely Alliances

Over the following months, many creatures both singers and water-breathers spoke of a most unlikely pairing which was making its path through the seas. A large female transient orca and a male bottlenose dolphin not even a third of her size, feeding and sheltering one another from the dangers of the deep. The dolphin was easily distinguished not only by his strange choice in companions, but also by the five star markings he carried upon his melon. At night, these shone as brightly as any stars which were in the sky. None knew where these travellers were going together, but the creatures of the deep kept a wary distance from what was unusual and strange in their view. One morning, as the sun rose into the sky to cast its light over the sea, Ecco and Cariu were to be found sheltering in a secluded cove. This particular cove only had one passage in; hence it was a suitable place to rest during the night when sharks would come out to hunt. While the transient had almost nothing to fear from sharks, her bottlenose travelling companion would easily make a meal for one of the ruthless hunters. It had fascinated Cariu when Ecco had told her of how he had received the scars which marred his slate grey body. This was truly a singer with as much power and courage as an orca, but with loyalty thrown in which orcas rarely shown to one another. Cariu's experience of other orcas had not been a good one; hence she had been with Okura exclusively as opposed to a pod. He was a creature who had shown love and loyalty to her in the time they had been together and it was killing her inside to be apart from her mate. However, Ecco was oblivious to these feelings as Cariu wasn't disposed to sharing her thoughts and feelings with him. On his side, the bottlenose couldn't understand why this creature was so keen on helping him. Her kind was infamous for slaughtering other singers within a heartbeat of seeing them, yet she was escorting Ecco on his dangerous quest. He still had no idea what the Big Blue had meant; demon dolphin, blind guardian, deep wanderer? What singers could these terms be applied to, if they were even referring to singers in the first place?

"Come, Ecco, we must set off again before the sun is at its highest," Cariu's song brought him out of his thoughts. In the short time they had been together, it was the orca who had chosen the path they were swimming. Perhaps she knew more about what the Big Blue had said than she was letting on? Having to keep pace with an orca had seen Ecco's muscles become even firmer and more powerful, driving him with immense speed and agility through the water. As they travelled onwards, he left his friend's side and began zipping in and out of a shoal of cod which was just ahead. He only returned once he was satisfied that he had eaten his fill, bringing a beak full of silvery bodies with him. In return for her protection, Ecco had taken to feeding Cariu a good share of whatever it was he was hunting. It had not escaped his attention that the orca never fed her own bulk during the daylight hours. She only ever left his side at night to hunt for herself, though, by day staying close to the smaller singer as they made their way on an unknown journey. Knowing how large the prey items which an orca hunted, Ecco had surmised she was protecting him from seeing unnecessary carnage by hunting in the twilight. Out of respect for the bottlenose, Cariu took his offering gratefully. Such a small morsel was barely a snack for the mighty hunter and her stomach was full with sharkflesh which she had hunted the previous night, so she wasn't hungry. But, she knew how the bottlenose wanted to thank her for being by his side.

"As you've been leading the way, I guess you know more about the Big Blue's references than me," Ecco sang questioningly, "Can you tell me what you know of the demon dolphin, the deep wanderer and the blind guardian?" Cariu said nothing in response but merely started to dive down. Ecco followed, his flukes pumping furiously to keep pace with the speed she was setting. All around him, the water was getting darker the deeper he was going. His sides started to feel as though they were being crushed, a tight feeling which was getting more and more intense the deeper he swam. Soon, to his relief, Cariu stopped and instructed Ecco to use his sonar to scan the area. This place was in complete darkness, hiding untold dangers within its cloak. As the sonar waves bounced back to him, Ecco picked up several life forms hidden from sight. Various kinds of fish with body shapes he had never been aware of before in his life, lurking and killing each other where eyes could not see them. There was one shape in particular which stood out to him, as it was vaguely singer in shape. It was unlike any singer Ecco had encountered before, but his sonar definitely told him it was a singer's body. Cariu called out with her song into the gloom, towards where this alien creature was swimming. By the tone of her song, Ecco knew it was aggressive and designed to draw the unknown singer's attention towards them. He could sense its rapid approach; hear its battle song ring out from the dark, aimed directly at them. Not waiting to be told, the bottlenose turned around and sped towards the surface. Heart pounding, he didn't bother to check if Cariu was beside him as he continued his frantic dash. Blind panic had descended, completely consuming the singer as he tried desperately to out swim whatever was pursuing him with such ferocity. This creature's sonar was bouncing off him, almost hurting Ecco with its intensity. Perhaps it was his lungs burning with stale air, or the effects of his deep dive taking hold, but he could feel his body almost slipping away. _Just a little further… _his body shot clear of the water, blowhole forcing painfully the bad air from his body. Feeling dazed from his exertions, his body all but spent, Ecco turned to see what had been chasing him so enthusiastically. Cariu was swimming alongside the strange singer, her body language not showing aggression or fear towards the newcomer.

"You, marked-one, have brought demon dolphin with you!" the singer sang in a strange tone, "You come to my depth with demon dolphin! This means we must fight if you want me to come with you!" Ecco could barely get his head around all that had happened. This bizarre looking singer wanted to fight him, if he wanted to gain its companionship. What could it all mean?

"What do you mean 'demon dolphin'?" Ecco challenged, "I only swam down there because my orca friend led me there, then she drew your attention to us!" Cariu surfaced for air, apparently not too bothered by what was happening around her. This singer from the deep was unusual in shape, having a prominent beak like a dolphin's but its sheer size was more akin to that of the orcas. A tiny dorsal fin about two thirds of the way along its body, the top half of its body was an unusual shade of yellow while the lower was a dark brown with what appeared to be stars dotted along there.

"Our kind is called 'demon dolphins' among other singers, Ecco," Cariu sang gently by way of explanation, "for our savage appetites and ruthless behaviour with other singers. Likewise, the 'deep wanderers' are different kinds of whale who live very deep in the ocean. I was confirmed on this when I went down with you to where this singer was swimming." His mind absorbing this new information, Ecco cast a wary eye over the new singer. This creature had obviously been waiting for him to contact it with an orca present.

"You say that you've been expecting us?" He asked the strange whale. The whale surfaced for a deep breath before approaching Ecco in a slightly manic manner. Its entire posture was poised for aggression and the eyes were shining with an insanity the bottlenose had never seen before.

"Surface swimmer with Delphineus' mark come with demon dolphin," the strange voice of the whale was female, but distorted heavily, "this be sung from mother to calf, through beaked whales, for many moons. In our deep dark, we sing of time when surface swimmer come to call one of us. We fight surface swimmer to see if he is worth us leaving home. Now, marked singer, let's fight!" Not waiting for Ecco to respond, the whale charged into his side, knocking him to one side. The male was stunned by the force thrown into the attack, his body still not fully recovered from the strain of diving so deep. His heart began to pound furiously once again, as he rounded and attacked his challenger. Darting in and out, trying desperately to hit the other singer with his beak as hard as he could, Ecco was becoming angrier with each failed attempt. For every missed attack, he was rewarded with a hard smack into his own body. His movements became less organised and more frenzied, thinking only of taking down the other creature. Memories began circling of failed attempts in the recent past to fight off attackers. The onslaught of great white sharks as he travelled to the frozen seas of the North, the ferocious advance of the monster known as Ligalotean. In both of these instances, he had been powerless to stop them, but now he was determined not to let it happen again. His beak was hitting into the whale heavily, showering the female with a barrage of blows which she could not escape. It was a short time before Ecco was aware of the damage he had inflicted, before he halted his attack. The whale swam slowly to the surface to draw breath, her movements laboured as they betrayed the heavy damage she had sustained.

"I can see now, you are indeed the one the prophecy sings of," she sang slowly once she had returned from breathing, "certainly worth me leaving deep home for. I am Pilot, what is your name, marked singer?" Ecco introduced himself and Cariu to the beaked whale. He then explained part of their quest to her, saying how he had to find another singer before going to as yet an unknown location.

"You seek blind guardian, Ecco?" she pondered once he had told her everything, "Beaked whales sing of singers who can't see. Eyes so small none can penetrate their minds through sight. Their songs have more power than even the mighty blue whales. I go with you, take you and demon dolphin to waters where blind singers swim." Without another word, Pilot began to swim slowly off into the blue gloom. Taking this as their cue to follow, Ecco and Cariu swam a short distance behind.

Near the Arctic seas, the beluga pod was making steady progress in their migration to the breeding grounds. They weren't making good enough time as their leader, Okapi, would've liked, but they were slowly getting to their destination. There were different factors affecting how fast the belugas could travel and none of these could really be avoided. The strange sharks which were now in the polar waters kept attempting to pick off one of the belugas, the only thing preventing them from success was the reluctant orca escorting the pod. Okura was seething inside, hating every second he was spending as caretaker of creatures he would've previously taken great pleasure in slaughtering at random. All that mattered to him now was that the mutant among them had promised to help him find his mate once he had helped her. It was taking all of his self restraint not to make a meal out of one of the belugas he was protecting, as several of them were injured and weak from the shark attacks which had happened before they had found safety in their integrated pod and Ligalotean's antics. Sarastro was also pondering over a lot of things during the long migration. So much had happened to her in a very short period of time. It had also not escaped her notice that whenever the pod stopped to rest for the night, Okapi disappeared and could not be found until the rise of the morning sun. The pale-eyed singer was also notoriously silent during the long legs of the swim. Her eyes carried a somewhat haunted look while she refused to engage in any of the games or playful banter which the pod members did. There was obviously something that Okapi was hiding, keeping to herself. In spite of the detached and cold aura the mutated beluga was giving off, Sarastro only left her side when the belugas were settling for the night. This particular evening, however, she instead followed Okapi when she swam off away from the others.

"Why do you follow me, Sarastro?" her cold song alarmed the Irrawady dolphin slightly, "you have not done so in evenings past." Her whole body remained forward facing as she sang, never turning to look the smaller swimmer in the eye.

"Yes, well, you always go off alone and then don't return until morning," she sang back with a slight hint of stubbornness, "it's not safe in these uncertain times and strange waters for any of us to be alone. Also, I can perhaps relate to your feelings of being alone in this world more than you give me credit for. With my elongated fins and unusual songs, I have known nothing other than victimisation for much of my life until recently. Let me at least swim with you for a time if you will not share some of your torment." Okapi turned and looked the female directly in the eye. Then, as swift as a great white shark going in for the kill, Sarastro found herself being lifted high from the water at an incredible speed from below. Her body was lifted clear from the water and she initially closed her eyes tight. She had never once in her life leapt from the sea into the air, although she knew it was a favoured hobby of some of the other dolphin species. Ecco often loved to do it while they had swam together, but she had maintained a dignified stance just below the waves. But now, she could feel the breeze from above gently caress her drying skin; blow softly almost as if enveloping her in a soothing embrace. Opening her eyes, she looked to see why she had not yet fallen back into the water. Beneath her body, fins spread so they looked more like wings, Okapi was riding on the updrafts coming from the waves.

"This is one thing I love to do when alone at night," she sang gently, her song taking a hint of warmth, "a habit from long ago, when I swam the seas and walked the land. You do not know yet of the true Atlantean history, the proud past and painful memories which I carry with me now." As they returned to the waves, Sarastro couldn't explain the feeling of loss which passed through her soul. It was as if she had truly experienced freedom for the first time in her life, just by leaving her watery home behind. She found herself looking at Okapi with new eyes, following the other singer to a shallow inlet not far from the pod and Okura.

"You've got links with Ligalotean," Sarastro sang softly, "you know where she came from and why she swims now, don't you?" The steely eyes betrayed nothing to the inquisitive singer, but did show a hint of warmth aimed directly towards her.

"In time you shall learn the answers which you seek now," Okapi replied calmly, "but our priority at present is to get the belugas to their breeding area. Lest we encounter Ligalotean en route, I fear it shall come down to me and perhaps you to draw her from the pod. Okura will be useless in a confrontation with that behemoth, for she has the ability to control his thoughts. Also, I know that I could not defeat Ligalotean in a duel and indeed neither could yourself. Such a fight will surely end in death for whoever faces her. Perhaps you would do best to distance yourself from me, as you're still young and you belong in this world. I am here because Ligalotean is awoken." The tormented beluga was startled to feel Sarastro's body pressed against her own from the side, their enlarged fins melding together as the much smaller singer's rested upon her own.

"Don't feel you're alone in this," these were the last words spoken from either singer for a long time as they both entered the half sleep of their kind beneath the bright moon overhead.


End file.
